Preseason games are usually measuring sticks for NBA teams. For the Los Angeles Lakers, they had a ton of new faces and the return of both Kobe Bryant and Julius Randle to experiment throughout the contest, while the Utah Jazz returned with mostly the same faces, looking to build chemistry after their fantastic post-All-Star game run last season.

The return of Bryant was highly anticipated, but a lot of Lakers hopefuls were also glued to their television sets to watch the debut of rookie D’Angelo Russell. Additionally, many were looking closely at Jordan Clarkson and Randle, the two rookies from last season.

Clarkson continued to play with confidence in this opening preseason game, as he notched a couple of highlight plays, including a monstrous block on Gordon Hayward that led to a tear drop on the other side.

Randle, who merely played 14 minutes in his rookie season due to a season-ending leg injury, looked rusty and out of sync. It seemed he was forcing the issue at times instead of allowing the game to come to him. He was hesitant to shoot open mid-range jumpers and went out of control on a few drives. Of course, the young man has a long road ahead of him and has all preseason to find his rhythm.

Meanwhile, the second overall pick Russell showed flashes tonight with a couple of beautiful bounce passes. However, he may still need to work on his outside shooting, as he threw up quite a few flat jumpers. Nonetheless, Russell was playing with a bruised right foot, which he said “was fine” after the contest.

Bryant, who was back from a shoulder surgery after missing nearly nine months of action, had a short stint in this game. He played just 12 minutes, scoring five points on 1 of 5 shooting. The crowd in Hawaii, however, was hoping Bryant would play more, as they were chanting “Kobe” at one point in the second half.

Byron Scott’s first five off the bench were Lou Williams, Jabari Brown, Nick Young, Brandon Bass, and Robert Sacre. The second unit handled business in the first half when they were inserted into the ball game. In fact, the bench unit changed the momentum of the game, giving the Lakers an eight-point lead midway through the second after the team was down four late in the first.

Tarik Black was the third center off the bench tonight, as he split minutes with Sacre. It appears Coach Scott will experiment those two throughout exhibition play to determine who gets the backup role.

Roy Hibbert made his Lakers debut, finishing with three points and 10 rebounds. Hibbert has struggled with his rebounding lately, so the 10 boards were a pleasant sign. 

Metta World Peace did not play in this game, as rookie Larry Nance Jr. sat out as well due to back spasms.

The Jazz, meanwhile, received tremendous play from Derrick Favors. The 24-year old led all scorers with 16 points and added nine rebounds. He was the one who got the Jazz off to a quick start and helped them recover in the second half.

Rudy Gobert, who had a breakthrough late last season, quietly put up 10 points and eight rebounds. The Frenchman wasn’t as dominating on the defensive end, but he still managed to alter quite a few shots and used his length to draw up a lot of fouls on the Lakers defense, going to the charity stripe nine times.

Gordon Hayward has used the offseason to bulk up a bit, and it certainly helped him in this game, as he made some strong plays and had a good-looking tip-in during the second half. Hayward’s all-around play is going to be crucial to Utah’s success this year. He will need to build on last year’s magnificent season and continue to lead the team with his scoring.

Utah should also be happy with some of their incoming new guys, Raul Neto and Trey Lyles.

Although Neto finished with just two points, he was impressive on the defensive end with his peskiness. He was hounding the Lakers guards all night long, hauling in a game-high four steals to go along with six assists. The Brazilian should be a solid replacement for the injured Dante Exum moving forward.

Lyles only logged 13 minutes but showed promise in limited time. His night was highlighted by a strong baseline move to the basket where he was looking to finish with a monstrous dunk, but the defense forced him to alter and he still managed to finish the play.

The game itself was mostly a back-and-forth affair, until the Jazz finally created separation toward the end. The Lakers controlled the middle quarters, while the Jazz owned the first and fourth quarters.

It was Los Angeles’ horrendous shooting that equated to the loss, as they made just 28.9 percent of their shots. Lou Williams and Nick Young, who appear to be a terrific scoring combo off the bench, led the way for the Lakers with 14 and 10 points, respectively.

Utah’s shooting was subpar as well, but it was enough to secure them the victory. Besides, they also out-boarded the Lakers, 60-48.

The Utah Jazz are playoff hopefuls this season, while the Lakers will look to develop their young talent and make sure Kobe Bryant remains healthy to guide them.

The Lakers will have the opportunity to get revenge when these two teams meet up again on October 7 in Hawaii.